Travis Kelce is under perhaps the most intense scrutiny of his career so far after a slow start to the season.
Through three games, Kelce has eight catches for 69 yards.
He has yet to reach the end zone, and his high grades, along with everything else he's accomplished in the offseason, have sports pundits like Rodney Harrison, Mike Francesa and Todd McShay criticizing him for it.
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Donna and Jason Kelsey stand on the field after the Super Bowl between the Kansas City Chiefs and San Francisco 49ers at Allegiant Stadium on Feb. 11, 2024 in Las Vegas. (Perry Knotts/Getty Images)
Travis' mother, Donna Kelsey, spoke out against some of the rumors circulating about the three-time Super Bowl champion.
“I don't think they realise the pressures that people are under when they're athletes or professionals in front of the camera. It's really hard. There's a lot that goes on behind the scenes,” she told People magazine at the premiere of her film “Grotesque,” which features a cameo from a football player.
“You don't realize how many times people try to stop you from catching the ball, trip you up, try to hit you. … So when you have people in front of you 24/7, it's a little tough.”
Travis Kelce has been in the spotlight since he started dating Taylor Swift.
Taylor Swift stands with Donna Kelsey after the AFC Championship Game between the Kansas City Chiefs and the Baltimore Ravens on January 28, 2024 in Baltimore. (AP Photo/Julio Cortez)
Taylor Swift fans worried after Travis Kelce looks depressed during game
Patrick Mahomes came to Kelce's defense following the win over the Atlanta Falcons.
“The respect they have for Travis is unbelievable,” Mahomes said of other teams. “And that's to be expected, but we call a lot of plays for Travis, and he has a couple of guys that rally around him. So, he gets it. I think what's great about him is he wants to impact the game, but at the end of the day, he wants to win.”
“Whenever he's there, whenever he's open, we're going to do our best to keep feeding him the ball. But when Russie gets there, [Rice] The more you play, the more you can run the football, the more you can get. [Xavier] “When Worthy gets involved, it makes Travis' offense more active, which means everyone is trying to take him off the field and it makes the other guys' offense more active.”
Donna Kelce answers questions about her sons, Philadelphia Eagles center Jason Kelce (left) and Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce, during Super Bowl Opening Night at the Footprint Center on Feb. 6, 2023 in Phoenix, Arizona. (Cheryl Evans/USA Today Sports)
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The 34-year-old tight end was targeted just 12 times through the first three games, second-most on the team. Ruchy Rice was targeted 29 times.
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